Do you think that this is discrimination?

If a teen walks into a supermarket and is stopped at the gate and told that school students can’t enter the store without an adult. This student didn’t have a bag, they were wearing school uniform though, so not allowed in without adult supervision.

What do you think?

Yes, it’s one of the majors, not that it should make any difference.

Probably should add that they were alone too, so not a group of 14 year olds.

Is this during school hours? I think some council areas have an agreement whereas school aged students aren’t served during school hours unless they parent is present, to prevent absences

No, it was before school, but apparently it has happened to others after school too.

I have heard of this before. It usually happens if there's been issues with school kids in the store ( shoplifting, causing fights etc).

A store can decide who is allowed in their store and can refuse customers. I would assume they have done this as last resort because of issues.

I would tell my child to change out of uniform before going in.

I pm not sure that it’s discrimination, but it’s certainly annoying. What If they were buying their lunch before school? Or some essential school supply?

I pm not sure that it’s discrimination, but it’s certainly annoying. What If they were buying their lunch before school? Or some essential school supply?

Ingredients required for home economics or what ever they call it these days. It was 7:30am as school starts at 8:10am.

So kids aren’t allowed to pick up bread and milk on the way home?

Nope apparently not. She mentioned it to her friends when she got to school and apparently they all get stopped. Luckily the other major is in the same shopping centre and she had no problem there. According to her friends, this is normal too.

Is it directly connected to a BWS? That could potentially be the issue?

No, it was the other one and no bottle shop attached. Annoyingly, that company doesn’t even have a bottle shop in our suburb.

I think they can exclude unaccompanied minors. A few years ago we were in WA and noticed signs at several shops that said children couldn’t enter during school hours.

ETA - it could just be at the discretion of the store’s manager. Our local Coles has a complete asshat of a manger and I could see him doing something like that. It would be worth asking head office if they are aware of the policy.

Unfortunately this is our normal. The highschool is over the road from a Coles and students are banned before school.

It's a huge PITA because I can't send them with money to buy home ec ingredients / stuff for a class party / whatever before school.

I'm not sure it's discrimination though. AFAIK the school and supermarket made a joint decision.

discrimination in this case would be if one school gets banned but others get served.

I would actually think it would be age discrimination in the provision of goods and services. What if a teenage girl needed to buy sanitary products? Ridiculous.

One local private school located just over the road was banned from our local Maccas and Woollies for quite a few years - don’t blame them either - they were wrecking havoc on both places. Shaking coke bottles and letting them explode, pulling everything off shelves and stealing a lot of food. They are now allowed in but no bags and school staff have been at the stores

It is in fact age discrimination unless they're going for a sneaky loophole we don't know about through state education laws or something.

https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/employers/age-discrimination

Is it a ditch worth dying in though? Probably not. Give the schoolkid friendly shop your business and give ém a big fat raspberry that way..

My guess is issues in the past have resulted in the ban. Maybe enquire at the school to see if they know the reason?

Is it discrimination ,, yes, probably fits the definition. But also their choice. Obviously they feel the loss of business is worth it, to avoid whatever issues they had,

Luckily, sounds like you have another option, so I’d simply make use of the other shop.

It was common when I was growing up that some stores were quite aggressive to students. To this day I hardly ever visit the Body Shop because I was once asked to roll up my sleeves while in the shop after school. I would have been 16-17 at the time.This was the days before security tags but it was a pretty small store - not so hard to watch people I wouldn’t have thought.

I wonder how they get on where I am living now. Until recently school uniforms were not enforced for public high school children and they are often just wearing dark trackies and a tshirts. Don’t think they have uniform school bags like the primaries do.

It is discrimination on the basis of age. To the PP who said that shops can decide who they want in their shop - no they can't. They can't decide they don't want Indigenous people or Somalian people - or people with a disability. I am sure they can refuse to let a person in if the person has previously created a problem but they would have to be careful. What if someone had a disability that manifested as behaviour that may make someone assume they are drunk? And they can't refuse entry to a certain age group just because they had had problems previously with that age group.

You should see the restrictions that have been put on people who get methodone from a pharmacy. So I figure it is legal to make sweeping assumptions about groups on society, based on the old age problem of a small amount of people doing the wrong thing. Because of course all teenagers shoplift....

Thanks for the replies. I just struggle to get my head around the fact that in this country and in this day and age, that people can be refused entry due to their clothing (ok, I get it if it’s too revealing or offensive).

It’s quite a distance to the school. You can walk, but for most it’s a bus ride, so as far as I know, there’s no agreement with the school. The principal has more of an issue with the McDonalds around the corner. Not due to the kids, but they are an absolute health freak and said that he won’t take Macca’s off kids within the school grounds, but he will give them the longest most annoying lecture about what they are eating, that they will personally choose never to bring it into the school grounds again! So that along with the fact that Woolies has no issues with school kids, I don’t think that there is any agreement with the school, but I will ask. There are two schools closer to the store than then, one a Catholic boys high and the other for children with special needs, but I don’t think they would be a problem, so maybe just the boy’s school.

I do actually know some people who work there as I used to work for this company many years ago (but not this store), so I will ask them next time I see one of them. I do have a feeling that it is coming from the current store manager. He has rubbed me the wrong way once before. Seems to like making up his own rules.

You should see the restrictions that have been put on people who get methodone from a pharmacy.

Just a matter of interest what are the restrictions for Methadone recipients or is just a particular pharmacy?

efs

Also, I never gave kids a second thought unless a huge group walked in looking suspicious. Even then I may keep an eye on them, but kids were the least of our worries.

Own main concern were the drug addicts who would regularly attempt to walk out with two or those original green bags, full of health and beauty which would regularly add to more than $2000 worth of stuff which they would then I sell to 24hour stores in the city and Kings Cross.

After that it was the meat thieves.

There are schools who also request that the big supermarkets not allow students in uniform to enter their shops before school hours and some after school hours. This is because in uniform they are representing the school. But there are supermarkets here who are not allowed to allow students in during school hours - not sure if this is a school directive or legal or if it because groups of teenagers often gather and do cause problems for other shoppers

You should see the restrictions that have been put on people who get methodone from a pharmacy.

Just a matter of interest what are the restrictions for Methadone recipients or is just a particular pharmacy?

efs

Stuff like not allowed to enter with another person (even a support worker), not allowed to buy anything. The contract I saw was pretty full on, but I can’t find anything on line (sort of understand why I can’t). It would be limited to particular pharmacies but the ones in my area seem similar. I did find this article that touches on some issues. I understand why some of these restrictions get out on, but certainly makes people feel second rate and they are a pretty powerless group that cannot afford to refuse or put in a complaint. https://ajp.com.au/news/pharmacy-accused-of-poor-treatment-of-methadone-patients/

I just see it similar to the teenager thing, making wide assumptions that all teens are dodgy, wagging school, shoplifters or gather in large groups that are problematic.